Drag-saw machine.



R. [L MGGHER DRAG SAW MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DB0. z2, 1903 Patented Feb. 1, ww.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l,

BY i/W65@ ZW IN1/EN T 0I?.

M11 A TTORNE Y.

R. J'. MUGHEE. DRAG SAW MAGHINE. APPLICATION FILED 1320.22, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTORNE V.

llltllfllFU STATES FdfllFllWlt UFFlUE.

ROBERT J'. lVfcGI-IEE, 0F VIRGINIA, MINNESTA.

DRAG-SAW MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 22, 1903.

lltatented Feb. l, 1910..

Serial No. 468,877.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ROBERT J. McGi-rnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Virginia, in the county of St. Louis and Stute of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Drag-Saw ltlachines; and l Ado hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relatesto drag saw machines and has for its object the provision of a practicable compact and convenient drag saw machine which can be easily transpoi'ted in the forests and which will be adapted to saw a. standing tree close to the ground, or, if desired, at a considerable distance from the ground, and to saw into transversely divided lengths a tree or timber .lying on, or approximately on the ground.

lt consists of the constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the acompanying drawings, Figure l, is a top plan view of my said invention, a standing tree-stump being shown as subject matter being operated upon thereby. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of said invention. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the line A-B of Fig. 2. Fig. a is a vertical transverse section approximately on the line (l-D of Fig. 3. Fio. 5 is a detail perspective View, partly bro ten away, of the hereinafter described ratched feed wheels.

In the drawings, l is a body frame, preferably constructed of aluminum channel bars, or, if desired, of an integral casting equivalent to such bars. rlhe ends of said body frame are provided with suitable shoulders la adapted to engage the ends of the hereinafter described web plate. EX- tending longitudinally of said frame is a transversely reciprocable web plate 2, having shoulders 2EL 2f formed thereon near each end, said shoulders being adapted in part to overhang lips extending from the lower edges of the ends of the hereinafter described engine base. At the forward end of said body frame are positioned forwardly extending teeth 3, secured. to or partly embedded in said frame. Extending along one side of said frame is a screw d, having blank ends il?, upon which blank ends are secured collars d, said blank ends being mounted in suitable bearings 1l" extending from the side of said frame. The rearward one of said blank ends is provided with a crankhandle 4 for turning the saine. Mounted upon said screw, is an internally threaded carriage, 5, engaging the threads of said screw. Upon said carriage is pivoted, at its heel, a bell-crank lever 6, one end of which is cleft to engage one or another of the links of a chain 7, which chain 7 is secured at one end to the forward end of the opposite side of said frame. lThe opposite end of said lever 6 is adapted in operation to extend rearwardly along said carriage. A link 8 is pivoted to said sleeve near its rearward end, and is adapted in operation to engage the rearward end of said lever. Upon said web plate is mounted an oscillatable engine base 9 preferably comprising the plates 9l and 9b, in which engine base is formed the longitudinal saw passage or tunnel 9, which is transversely enlarged intermediate of its ends. Said engine base is centrally pivoted upon said web plate by means of a depending annular offset 9d formed on said engine base and engaging a central recess in said web plate. Extending from said saw passage downward centrally through said web plate is a hollow spindle 10, upon the upper end of which is rigidly secured or formed a ratchet wheel l()a having ratchet notches 10b formed in its upper face, which wheel overhangs a portion of said web plate. Upon the lower end of said spindle is positioned a gear 10, which meshes with the teeth of a rack bar l" which extends transversely of said body frame and is secured thereto. Extending into said hollow spindle is the shaft ll of a ratchet wheel 11a, which ratchet wheel l1a extends over the ratchet wheel 10a and lies beneath the saw blade A. The upper edge of said ratchet wheel ll, is radially recessed as at 1lb, and within said recess is positioned a spring l2 extending equally on opposite sides of the center of said ratchet wheel. Upon the outer ends of said spring are positioned depending dogs l2 and 12b respectively which project through vertically directed apertures formed in said ratchet wheel 11a, and engage the ratchet notches 10b formed in the upper face of said wheel 10a. Engaging the ratchet teeth formed on the periphery of said wheel l1a at opposite sides of the axis thereof, are oppositely directed reciprocable pawls 13 and 13a, respectively, which pawls' are adapted to reciprocate in opposite directions with relation to each other, longitudinally of the said saw passage, and are provided with shanks lying beneath the saw blade for the major portion of their length and, near the ends of said passage, diverging from their course and rising to form fingers 13b and 13, respectively, close by the edge of the saw blade and in the horizontal plane thereof. Said pawls are held in normal engagement with said teeth by the thrust rods 14 and 14a, which are operated by the springs 141b and lele, respectively. Said rods arepivoted at their inner ends to said pawls respectively and are provided at their outer ends with finger-holds 14d and lugs 14e, by which finger-holds they may be retracted and swing so as to engage said lugs with shoulders 1C formed upon the said body frame, thus withdrawing said pawls from engagement with said wheel 11a and stopping the cross-wise feed of the engine base and web plate and saw. The saw blade, A, is blank, without teeth, through out that portion of its length which extends through said saw passage at any period of the reciprocation of the saw, but intermediate of the ends of that portion of the saw which, in operation, always remains within said saw passage there are formed on opposite edges thereof transversely extending. shoulders 15 and 15a, respectively, which shoulder 15 is adapted shortly before the completion of the forward stroke of the saw, to strike the finger 13b, and carry it forward, thus operating the pawl 13. Upon the re turn stroke of said saw, said shoulder 15a strikes the finger 13c near the rear end of the saw passage and carries it to the rear, thus operating the pawl 13a. Both of said pawls are returned by suitable springs, as 16. Upon said cylinder base is positioned a reciprocating engine 17, of any suitable construction, which, it is thought need not be here more specifically described, many engines suitable for the purpose being well known to the art. Extending rearwardly from the power cylinder 17 of said engine is the piston rod 17, from which piston rod depends a foot or bracket, 18, which is rigidly secured thereto, and to which bracket is secured the rearward end or heel of the saw-blade, A. The path of the outer end of said piston rod is preferably protected by an approximately cylindrical hood, or relatively stationary sleeve 19, open along its under side only sufficiently to permit of the passage and reciprocation of said foot. Pivoted to the forward end of said body frame, at opposite sides thereof are legs 20, to the lower ends of which are pivoted the forward ends of telescopic braces 21, the upper ends of which braces are pivoted to said body frame intermediate of the ends of the sides thereof. The respective members of each of said telescopic braces are held in extended position by any suitable means, as by a set screw 21u. These legs and braces thus form a bracket adapted to bear against the side of a tree and te hold up the rear end of the machine when it is not desired to have it rest upon the ground.

In operation, the saw is iirst swung to the left of the standing tree or stump, or above a reclining log, as the case may be, the machine being turned on its edge X if it is to be used to saw a recumbent log. The chain is then carried around the tree or log and the free end of the chain is engaged by the locking lever 6. The screw is then rotated in the proper direction to draw back the locking lever carriage 5, so as to tighten the chain and draw the teeth into the tree or log. The bracket may at the time be extended more or less to support the rear end of the frame, er it may be collapsed, by retracting the set screws and permitting the braces to telescope approximately their full length, depending on whether the rear end of the machine requires to be supported above the ground, or not.

rI`he pawls may be retracted and the cvlinder base and web plate may be manually moved transversely of the body frame to adjust the engine, in the lirst instance, to a desired position, or with respect to the tree or log without swinging the engine on its axis, er in addition te so swinging it; or the pawls may be released and permitted te engage the ratchet wheel 11, in which event each reciprocation of the saw blade will, through the medium of the pawls and spring dogs 12 and 12" result in actuating the ratchet wheels 111 and 10 and the gear wheel 1()c the width of one tooth, thus automatically feeding the engine and saw transversely of the frame. lVhile such automatic feed is in operation, the rear end of the engine will be controlled manually through the medium of said hood 19, either to prevent said rear end from swinging, or from swinging too fast, or to either modify or accelerate the feed of the saw by swinging the engine on its pivot while said engine is being automatically fed transversely of said frame.

I am aware that many attempts have been made to devise a practical machine for sawing down standing` trees or cutting up recumbent logs, and that both transversely movable engines and pivotally movable engines have been devised for such purpose and are old in the art; but these, se far as I know them, have had saw guides of considerable length and great inconvenience extending forward of the cylinder, rendering the machine less compact and rigid and less easy to transport and to adjust, and more diiiicult to hastily remove from danger of ceases The engine 1s supplied with motive power from any suitable source of supply, and by any suitable conduit, forn'iing no part, per se, of this my invention.

lt is obvious that said construction may within the scope ot certain of my claims be g modified in various details by substituting therefor' equivalents responsive to such of said claims, or by'transposing certain parts, or by varying their dimensions er proportions.

What l claim isl. ln a drag saw machine, the combination of a body frame, a transversely reciprocable web plate mounted thereon and engaged thereby, an engine base pivotally mounted on said web plate, said engine base having a longitudinally directed saw blade passage formed therethrough, a saw blade directed through said passage and projecting out of each end of the same, a reciprocating engine mounted on said engine base and over said passage and extending longitudinally of said base and provided with a rearwardly directed piston rod, means for connecting the rearward end of said saw blade to the outer end of said piston rod, means for reciprocating said engine base and web plate transversely of said frame, means adapted to be automatically actuated by said saw blade for operating said base reciprocating means, and means for holding the forward end of said frame firmly against the object from which a portion of material is to be sawed.

In a drag saw machine, the combination of a body frame, a transversely reciprocatable web plate mounted thereon and engaged thereby, an engine base pivotally mounted on said web plate, said engine base having a saw blade passage formed therein and extending longitudinally thereof, a saw blade extending through said passage and extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof, an engine carried by said engine base, said en gine being positioned over said passage means for connecting said engine with the rearward end of said saw, said engine and connecting means being adapted to reciprocate said saw blade, means for reciprocating said web plate transversely of said frame, and means for holding the forward end of said frame firmly against an object from which a portion is to be sawed.

3. In a drag saw machine, the combination of a body frame, an oscillatable engine base having a longitudinally extending saw blade passage formed therethrough and extending longitudinally thereof, a power cylinder mounted on said base and extending over said passage, a reciprocatable saw blade extending through and beyond said passage in opposite directions and means connecting said engine with the rearward end of said saw blade for reciprocating the same.

4l. ln a drag saw, the combination of a body frame, an engine carried thereby, a reciprocatable saw, means connecting said engine with said saw for reciprocating the saine, adjustable means for bracketing said frame against the side of an objectmto be sawed, and means for holding said frame firmly against the object to be sawed.

5. In a drag saw machine, the combination of a body frame, provided with a transversely extending row of forwardly directed teeth at its forward end for engaging the object to be sawed, flexible means secured at one end to the forward end of one side of said frame and adapted to embrace the object to be sawed, a reciprocating carriage mounted on the opposite side of said frame, a lever mounted on said carriage and adapted to engage said flexible means, means for securing said lever in operative position and a rotatable screw mounted on said frame and engaging said carriage and adapted to reciprocate the same.

6. In a drag saw machine, the combination of a body frame, a transversely recip rocable web plate mounted thereon and engaged thereby, an engine base pivotally mounted on said plate, an engine mounted on said base, a reciprocable saw connected to said engine, a transversely extending rack bar formed on or secured to said frame, a gear wheel carried by said plate and engaging said rack bar and adapted to reciprocate said plate, means carried by said plate i for rotating said gear, and a saw blade carried by said engine base and adapted to actuate the means for rotating said gear.

7. ln a drag saw machine, the combination of a body frame, a transversely reciprocable web plate mounted thereon, a rack bar extending transversely of said frame beneath said web plate, an engine base piv* otally mounted on said web plate and having a longitudinally directed saw blade passage extending therethrough and across the pivotal axis thereof, driving mechanism engaging said rack bar and concentric with the pivotal axis of said web plateand extending into said saw blade passage for reciprocating said web plate, a saw blade extending into said passage and above said driving mechanism, operating means engaging said driving mechanism for operating the same, said saw being provided with actuating means adapted to engage said operating means to actuate the same, and an engine carried by said engine base and connected to said saw and adapted to reciprocate the same.

8. ln a drag machine, the combination of a body frame, an engine mounted thereon, a

reeiproeatable sawl secured to said engine and adapted to be actuated thereby, a bracket secured to said frame :tor supporting the saine upon the body to be saWed, said Wardly and upwardly toward said traine, and means :tor securing said braces in their adjusted position.

9. In a drag saw machine, the combination of a body frame, a transversely reciprocatable plate mounted thereon and engaged thereby, an engine base pivotally mounted on said plate, an engine mounted on said base, a reciprocatable saW connected i l l i l l to said engine and adapted to be actuated thereby, a transversely extending rack bar fornied on or secured to said "traine, a gear l wheel carried by said plate and concentric bracket comprising legs secured at one end to said Jranie and at -other points to exten- 4sible braces, said braces extending rearwith the pivot of said engine and engaging said rack bar and adapted to reciprocate said plate, ineans carried by said plate for i rotating said gear, and a saw blade carried by said engine base and adapted to actuate the ineans for rotating said gear.

In testiinony whereof I hereunto aiiix iny signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT J. MCGHEE. Witnesses J Aims T. VATSON, W. J. HOLMES. 

